BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II hangs on to top Bishop McDevitt

UPPER PROVIDENCE — The Pope John Paul II boys got some valuable practice at trying to nail down a basketball win against a tough opponent in Sunday afternoon’s non-leaguer against Bishop McDevitt. And while not all went smoothly for the Golden Panthers down the stretch as a 13-point fourth-quarter lead dwindled to just four, PJP still managed to hold on and will head into the bulk of its league schedule on a winning note after a 63-56 decision over the visitors from Wyncote.

Brent Mahoney scored 16 for Pope John Paul (7-3) and James Bleming 13, including two big free throws with 30 seconds. Tyrell Long led the comeback for McDevitt (7-2) with 13 points in the final quarter and finished with 20.

“They’re quick, they’re athletic, and they’re well-coached,” PJP coach Jack Flanagan said concerning the Lancers. “Late in the game, we had some miscues. But it’s December, not January or February. When we play those league games, we’ll know how to close it out.”

PJP was up by a 49-36 score after Mahoney dropped in a 3-pointer from the left wing with 6½ minutes remaining in the contest. But Long scored on a layup and then off an offensive rebound to begin the comeback by the Lancers that got them all the way back to within 60-56 when Long drilled a three-point bomb from the top of the circle with 35 seconds to go.

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But Bleming, who also had six assists (4 of them in the third quarter), hit two from the line to all but wrap up the win.

“Good teams, when they’re up by 10 or 11 with three minutes to go – they close it out,” said Bleming a 5-foot-11 junior guard. “We’ve got to be strong with the ball and not take any shots unless they’re inside the foul line.”

Jamel Stinson (11 points, 12 rebounds) hit a jumper at the buzzer to give PJP a 25-24 edge at the end of the first half that featured nine lead changes and three ties. Then the Golden Panthers picked up the tempo after the break and quickly lengthened their lead as Stinson scored inside, Mahoney scored off a drive, Tim Tadros (9 points, 6 rebounds) canned a jumper off a feed from Bleming, and Mahoney hit a trey from the top of the circle for a 34-26 advantage three minutes into the half.

Then Roserio Peloro drained a 3-pointer from the right wing and banked in a two-pointer to start the final quarter for the hosts and a 3 by Mahoney produced the 13-point spread with 6:31 to go. That turned out to be enough of a lead for PJP, despite turning the ball over seven times and shooting just 4-for-8 from the line the rest of the way.

All of which gave the Golden Panthers good experience for their upcoming battles against quick opponents like Pottstown, the team they will face on the road when they resume their Pioneer Athletic Conference schedule on Thursday night.

“Definitely, their guards are really good,” Bleming said concerning McDevitt. “It gave us a good test going into the league. It’s good to get a win. Playing Pottstown, that team’s similar to Pottstown, too.”

“The thing for us right now, outside of Downingtown East, the rest of our schedule is league games,” said Flanagan, whose team is 3-0 in the PAC-10. “Now we can focus on the league all the time. The league is as balanced as it has been the last three years, especially our division. We certainly have our work cut out for us.”

NOTES

Mahoney grabbed 12 rebounds as the Golden Panthers wound up with a 43-31 advantage on the boards, including a 19-11 margin in the fourth quarter. … Alex Plate added five points for PJP, all of them in the opening period. … Tyreek Fairfax scored 16 and Kenyatta Long 14 for the Lancers, who shot just 5-for-15 from the free throw line.